Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

The shapeshifter pondered for a moment and explained:

"Qi Yan's blood can dissolve Originium, and Qi Yan can utilize the energy of Originium, but all of this... is just Qi Yan's belief that he can."

A look of confusion flashed across Theresa's eyes as she turned to look at Windermere's warship in the distance.

After a moment, she suddenly realized:

"Because he thought he could, therefore he could."

The shapeshifter continued to articulate his views: "His Highness just said that the people of Rhodes Island made the right choice, but in our opinion, their actions are dangerous."

The lonely Qi Yan doesn't take this land seriously; he doesn't care about life or death, truth or falsehood, and all things are just passersby to him. But now, Qi Yan is being slowly pulled into our ranks by the people of Rhodes Island.

Qi Yan is accompanied by a deity, and throughout our long lives, we have heard glimpses of that deity's experiences. Would Your Highness like to hear them?

“You’ve never mentioned this before.” Theresa frowned for the first time.

"Because Qi Yan was lonely before."

The shapeshifter seemed to have been opened up and slowly said, "The story I heard is about a god who was no longer alone, who chose to release his power to protect the people he cared about... and that caused a tragedy."

Chapter 704 Sarkaz Warfare

Manfred lay in wait in a canyon, silently gazing at his distant target.

The airship flew at an extremely dangerous altitude at a leisurely pace, seemingly completely unaware of the pursuers behind it.

At that height, Manfred even felt that if he exerted a little more force, he could jump up on the spot and touch the airship's rear.

"Aren't you going to take action yet?"

The shapeshifter appeared out of nowhere from behind Manfred.

Without turning his head, Manfred said, "It's not the right time yet."

“But if we wait any longer, the Duke’s high-speed warships will run you over,” the shapeshifter warned. “The airships don’t need your support; His Highness has already made his decision.”

“Thank you for the reminder, but I never intended to rush in to protect His Highness,” Manfred said calmly. “A surprise attack on the high-speed warships and disrupting the pursuers’ rhythm is the most effective way to help.”

"If you do this, you might not be able to come back," the shapeshifter warned again.

Manfred showed no hesitation or fear, seemingly prepared to accept any outcome.

The shapeshifter asked curiously, "It seems General Manfred already has a plan. Why don't you tell me?"

Upon hearing this, Manfred's first reaction was to cast a questioning look at him.

The shapeshifter said with a hurt expression:

"We won't tell Qi Yan."

“No, you misunderstand.” Manfred shook his head. “I’m worried that you will continue to harass the Blood Lord.”

"It seems your plan hinges on the Blood Demon."

The shapeshifter nodded, then vanished into green fluid under Manfred's worried gaze.

"Oh dear, what kind of situation is this?"

Life is tough, Xiaoman sighed.

A Sarkaz scout came jogging from a short distance away.

"General, Windermere's fleet has entered the designated area."

Manfred, fearing the shapeshifters might cause trouble, immediately issued an order.

"Duke, a Sarkaz force of about a hundred men has been spotted on our flank!"

On the high-speed warship, the intelligence officer reported the situation immediately.

Windermere glanced at the Doctor, who gave her a reassuring look, but unfortunately, Windermere couldn't see him clearly through the mask.

"Use secondary guns for firepower output..."

Before Windermere could finish giving his instructions, another intelligence officer rushed into the conference room.

"Duke, the Caest fleet providing flank support has suddenly sent a message: they have been attacked by the enemy!"

Without giving Windermere any chance to react, a third intelligence officer arrived.

"Duke, intelligence from the Iron Duke's fleet indicates that the Carrion army is pressing forward, forcing their troops to retreat!"

“…Very Sarkaz-esque.” Windermir said calmly. “Pass on my order: fire the main guns!”

With Windermere's orders issued, war officially began.

The roar of artillery fire echoed in Qi Yan's ears. Curious, he got up and walked to the window, finally witnessing firsthand the advanced technology and weaponry of this land.

It's called technology, but it's more like magic.

Qi Yan once used W's grenade launcher, but unfortunately, all the guns on this land are powered by Originium. They look like firearms, but are actually staffs in the form of guns.

At this moment, Qi Yan successfully witnessed the staff in cannon form.

The moment the main gun fired, the world seemed to dim a little.

The airship dodged with great effort, and shadows surged around it like a tide, barely avoiding the frontal artillery fire with a maneuverability that was completely unlike that of a machine.

Even so, the airship was not in good shape. Its bottom was melted by the energy of the main cannon, leaving a shocking gap, and its flight altitude dropped again.

As the fleet's secondary guns fired in unison, beams of light intertwined to form a vast net known as 'death,' enveloping the land as if killing the enemy was merely a side effect.

The Sarkaz squad that attacked from the flank scattered immediately, but were still covered by the Truth, thick smoke billowing, and the hundred-strong squad vanished in an instant.

"It's over, there's smoke but no injuries."

Qi Yan gasped.

The doctor silently walked to Qi Yan's side, staring into deep thought at the spot where the Sarkaz team had disappeared.

A few seconds later, the doctor suddenly turned to Windermere and reminded him:

"Something's wrong. Immediately change the course of our warship!"

"Listen to the doctor!"

Windermere immediately issued the order before asking the doctor, "What did you notice?"

“The direction this Sarkaz force is attacking is wrong,” the doctor said in a deep voice. “The Caesar fleet is right behind them. Manfred can’t ignore that and let his forces be caught in a pincer movement.”

One staff member objected: "Didn't the intelligence officer just say that the Caster forces were attacked? Perhaps the Sarkaz are planning a two-pronged approach."

"You think Manfred is me?"

No doctor needed to refute him; Qi Yan had already burst into laughter.

Staff members: ?

The doctor added, "You see, even a fool would know to concentrate forces to attack one place under these circumstances."

Ignoring Qi Yan's defiant glare, the professor spoke rapidly:

"Judging from my interactions, the Blood Lord is not the type to let the enemy bombard him, yet there is no trace of the Blood Lord's involvement in that Sarkaz team."

The staff member questioned:

"Even the Grand Prince of the Royal Court could not possibly withstand a volley of cannon fire head-on."

"It's not a question of whether or not we can, but whether or not we'll actually take action," the doctor sighed.

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky.

Qi Yan pressed his face against the window and yelled, "My goodness! Kester has betrayed us!"

A deafening roar accompanied by a tremor shook everyone in the conference room, making them feel unsteady.

Windermere steadied himself by holding onto the table, his expression somewhat grim.

"It's an attack from the fleet, have they gone mad?"

The professor and Qi Yan fell face-first into each other. He pressed Qi Yan's head down, propped himself up, and analyzed the situation:

"The Blood Demon Lord may not be able to turn the tide of battle on his own, but he can slaughter a deputy ship in a short time."

Windermere also hurried to the window, looking at the huge hole blasted into his warship outside, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

If she hadn't acted decisively and followed the doctor's advice to order the ship to change course, that shot might have hit the conference room where she was.

Even if she doesn't get into trouble, it will be difficult to avoid some period of chaos within the team.

Windermere glanced at the Doctor and Qi Yan, who were wrestling again, but he didn't have the energy to stop them. He turned to his men and gave the order:

"Change tactics! Main ship, full speed ahead! Target: airship!"

"The Duke?!"

The staff officers all looked surprised.

Windermere's gaze was resolute: "The Blood Lord has not appeared on the front lines. If we want to continue the decapitation operation, we must force him to return to defend."

With Qi Yan around, doing this will make the flagship a target that all Sarkaz don't want to contact but have no choice but to engage with; making the enemy suffer is making yourself feel better.

The staff officers looked at each other in bewilderment.

The professor pried open Qi Yan's dog paws and chuckled softly:

"That's crazy. You really shouldn't mess with women. They're much scarier than men when they go crazy."

“You’re right,” Qi Yan agreed, pulling on the doctor’s hood. “And coincidentally, the leader of the enemy we’re facing is also a woman.”

As if in coordination with Qi Yan, an intelligence officer rushed in as soon as he finished speaking.

"Duke, the airship has suddenly changed direction and is heading straight for the main ship!"

At the same time, another attack landed on the main ship.

Bad news followed quickly.

"The Sarkaz force that attacked from the flank suffered minimal damage; they recklessly used the smoke and dust cover to charge onto a secondary ship!"

"The shapeshifters have appeared! They are devouring the soldiers controlling the secondary ship! Secondary ship 017 has fallen!"

"The Sarkaz used some unknown sorcery to create a barrier that enveloped the 017 deputy ship. That deputy ship is ramming the main ship at full speed, and our firepower is not enough to destroy it!"

"The natural disaster clouds in the sky are pressing down; a natural disaster is coming!"

Chapter 705 Since ancient times, waves have been opposed...

The air seemed to become heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

The light dimmed at a speed perceptible to the naked eye, making the Originium patterns on the battleship fleet and the ancient sorcery from the Sarkaz even more dazzling.

A dull rumble of thunder exploded from the sky, its booming sound almost piercing people's scalps.

Windermere felt the impending natural disaster, and even she couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted.

"Duke, the natural disaster has disrupted communications, and contact between the main ship and the secondary ship has been lost. The intelligence officers are ready!"

The report from his confidant came from behind Windermere.

Windermere knew that in this chaotic battlefield, the most reliable way to transmit information was to rely on the lives of intelligence officers.

Her command would send countless warriors on a journey of no return, and she could not hesitate for even a moment.

"Pass on my order: have the vice-captains abandon blocking Vice-Captain 017, disperse, and activate defenses to prepare for the natural disaster."

"At the same time, all auxiliary ships cease fire and prepare for battle. Target: the main ship!"

"Once the auxiliary ship 017 catches up with the main ship, open fire immediately!"

Windermere's three orders immediately changed the expressions of his confidants and the entire staff.

But Windermere's command was not yet over:

"Main ship, continue at full speed! Order main guns to fire! Target: airship!"

Even though her confidante was horrified, Windermere's iron discipline, honed through years of training, was perfectly displayed at that moment, and her orders were spread at top speed after being issued.

On the battlefield, beneath the thick, seemingly tangible clouds of natural disaster, two colossal figures rapidly approached from the left and right sides of the battlefield in a desperate manner.

On the right side, the main gun of the high-speed warship was frantically gathering Originium energy, flashing with a deathly light.

The airship on the left approached downwards, charging toward the main ship as if it were going to its death, its main cannon also beginning to gather energy fluctuations.